Sebum, or skin oil, is produced in the sebaceous glands located in the pilosebaceous apparatus of the skin and reaches the skin surface through the duct of the hair follicles. The presence of excessive amounts of sebum on the skin surface often results in an unattractive cosmetic condition commonly known as "oily skin". Sebum also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acne. Sebaceous gland activity is significantly increased in acne subjects and individuals with the most severe acne often have the highest sebum secretion rates.
The spreading of sebum on the skin surface is then an important cosmetic parameter since its distribution on the skin surface can determine the appearance of oiliness or greasiness and can contribute to the severity of acne.
It is advantageous, therefore, to have available means for reducing the flow of sebum over the surface of human skin, with particular regard to skin characterized by an excessive secretion or presence of sebum on the surface and to affect skin areas of acne patients.
It has now been discovered that straight chain dimethyl silicone polymers having a molecular weight of about 50,000 or more and a viscosity of about 10,000 centistokes or more may be employed to effectively so reduce the spreadability of sebum.